• Remember the whispers that suggested New Jersey might be secretly thrilled that Ilya Kovalchuk bolted to Russia because it took them off the hook for his contract? Those rumors may have been right on the nose. Thomas Zambito has an amazing story about just how bad things were for the Devils before the team was sold earlier this month. If the allegations made in a trail of lawsuits are to be believed, their decline wasn't simply a matter of poor management. It was much, much worse.

• Coincidentally, life without Kovy is one of the themes pondered over at NHL.com as the Devils are today's 30-in-30 spotlight team. Good timing, eh?

• Sounds like Kovalchuk still has his eye on returning to North America. Well, unless they've changed the name of the KHL's championship trophy (which would be kind of genius, if you think about it).

• Back in the pre-internet days, I used to spend $4 to get a three-day-old copy of the Sunday Boston Globe every week just to read what Kevin Dupont had to say about the world of hockey. Always a good investment. His Sunday column is usually hidden behind a paywall these days, but it's out there for one and all today. Enjoy his thoughts on Tim Thomas, P.J. Axelsson, Hal Gill and more.

• Only Adrian Dater could live blog the viewing of a 13-year-old Avalanche game on VHS ...because who else still owns a VHS player, right? The dusty clash between the Avs and Yotes brings up some great memories, including tips on buying beer for famous athletes, wooing Alex Rodriguez and the sad story of Bobby Francis. It's really great stuff.